Aerti Week 2018
by sanctum-c
Summary: Prompt fills for Aerti Week on Tumblr
1. Girl of the Abyss

Aeris woke as the muted sunlight reached her through the uncovered window. Darker than it should be; the miasma from the Abyss extended in a seemingly harmless column as high to the tops of the atmosphere – as far as anyone could tell in any case. The strange refraction ensured Midgar remained dark until later in the day; electric lights still burned until the sun was well above the rim of the North Crater. Most denizens would continue to sleep until the light reached an acceptable level; when any encroaching Abyss-fauna had fled from the natural sunlight. A curious affliction of the myriad and by no means wholly categorized wildlife of the Abyss; explorers to lower levels noted how the miasma strangely ensured the interior was well-lit in the far depths – and the fauna flourished there. Some form of filtering in the miasma? Possible, but like so much of the Abyss, much remained in doubt.

A few hours remained for her purposes. Aeris dressed and hurried from her house, staff in hand. The actual chances of running across something was negligible – the larger and more dangerous monsters never ventured this high – the smaller specimens were more nuisances than actively dangerous, but it never hurt to be careful. Mechanical clanks sounded out across the city in the stillness; the huge wheels of the lifts were drawing human and relic cargo from far below – the limits of mechanical delving or at the limit of a surface-based retrieval. What would this party bring back? The messages sent back in advance would normally promise much, though revelations about their contents came solely at Shinra's whim. Not that Aeris minded; the jealous guarding of procured treasures from whatever and whoever came before helped drive the need for the black-market that kept her going. A few hours before dawn, via a unofficial route down to the first layer. Worth the nausea of coming back up fast.

Small creatures skittered and darted away as she hurried along the metal streets, her footfalls echoing against the walls. Rats or something other? There were rumours in the city of strange bites and unpleasant encounters in the night. She put them out of her mind and hurried onward. Soon she was on the edge; a platform jutting out over the bowl-like depression of the first Abyss-layer. Relatively safe based on the testimonies of those who had gone deeper. If Shinra could have restricted access to the pit they would have; various industrial and military secrets lay in the depths, held secure against prying eyes thanks to the complexities of exiting the abyss and the inherent dangers. But exploration had gone on too long and it was not as if no humans dwelled within.

Way stations carried Mako up from the depths of the Abyss, its source out of reach in the theoretical lower reaches, past the depth deemed the seventh layer and certain death for anyone there who attempted to reach the open sky again. Rumour insisted SOLDIER training went further than drills on the first layer, that successful applicants descended into the true depths, perched at a specific point somewhere between the fourth and fifth layer. No official document listed the side-effects of attempting to surface from that depth, but there were always rumours. One risked losing humanity and death to ascend from there. Hard to shake the plausibility of the story; SOLDIERs encountered in training on the first layer looked human. Those who went deeper returned with a glowing ring around each pupil.

And perhaps there was one SOLDIER who had descended to depths unknown. Sephiroth, the first SOLDIER, last seen entering the way-point of Nibelheim at the lower edge of the second level. His fate – and the fate of much of the town was little more than a mixture of conjecture and observation. Aeris had seen the fire when it occurred, the flames twisted and altered thanks to the miasma, but there was no mistaking the resulting column of smoke. Nibelheim, gateway to the third layer and major mako hub, burned. A rescue team scrambled down and the first reports back shared without much reservation. The town wiped out, buildings burned and people dead. A few people remained unaccounted for but no one of importance. Whether lost to an opportunistic predator or simply missed in the clean-up was never clear. Many wondered if they had gone deeper. Sephiroth's body was not among the recovered.

The full story when the team reached the surface and recovered from the ordeal was little different to the initial reports. The cause of the fire, Sephiroth's absence and the missing bodies remained unexplained. The loss of the town's denizens who had the best working knowledge of descent opportunities from layer two provoked a change of focus to the still standing – if less conveniently positioned – Gongaga. The new destination for all those intent on heading into the deep. The shift below ground changed many of the support mechanisms and infrastructure on the surface. In turn meant what had once been a workable and useful station to descend into the Abyss scavenged for scrap and abandoned. Perfect for her.

Aeris paused to glance around in the growing light. No one in sight. Or at least no one capable of causing much of an issue. Rope secured on an anchor point and Aeris rushed through the air, plunging into the miasma and the first layer of the abyss. Nothing to feel at this stage. The light sharpened and brightened as she dropped, mossy cliffs rushing past. She slowed her descent and let go of the rope to step into a grassy plain, dotted with white flowers.

First layer; side-effects included nausea with flu-like symptoms in extreme cases. So far Aeris avoided anything so bad. Going back up was going to be a pain all the same. Something to worry about later. Lumps in the grass were her best bet as starting points; somewhere a Cetra relic might lie. History was unclear on the nature of the Cetra or why so many artefacts seemingly of their creation lay here and in the deeper Abyss. Some rumours claimed the race were immune to the effects of ascending, but other than their presence at all recorded depths (or at least those any explorer or a surviving message had returned from), few knew anything about them. The artefacts left in their wake ranged from curious trinkets to strange devices of unknown use. Shinra would spirit away everything they could; certain common and harmless items for sale later or used as the basis for some new emerging technology. How much of Shinra's advances were nothing more than re-purposed Cetra artefacts?

She scrambled over the grass, reaching in between flowers. A few times she disturbed nests and darted away to safe-distances to avoid swarms of biting insects. There were always more sections of ground, always more relics. Could Shinra ever expend this layer? Would the upper-part of the abyss one day be devoid of anything to scavenge? Perhaps. And would it be soon? The vast circumference of the North Crater seemed to mock the notion of ever expending this resource, but- Nothing was infinite.

Aeris had about another hour go when something moved in the middle-distance. She held still. A pale – too pale – girl, about her age perhaps was making her own way through the grass. She paused at intervals to pick another white flower to add to the pile she carried in her arms. She was not dressed for the abyss; tank-top and shorts, no shoes. No protection from potential monsters and with no way to carry a substantial relic find back. Was she a competitor? From Midgar or another operative snuck into the Abyss after evading Shinra's guards? The girl had not seemingly noticed her and continued to wander towards the centre, across the massive plain of the first layer ring. If she carried she would reach the cliffs above the second layer.

Aeris followed, curious and a little concerned. If the girl noticed her she gave no sign, stopping only to pluck more flowers and continued onward. Aeris blinked. The girl seemed less pale now. Odd. A trick of the miasma or-? No. No, her hand had a significantly pinker hue now, the smile the girl wore more genuine, less strained. She moved faster, energy and anticipation seeming to animate her steps. Before she had been beautiful but unearthly; an angel detached from humanity. Now she was more human, more real, muscle tone seeming to develop spontaneously in her arms. The lustre of her hair seemed to shift; now it was glossier and less tangled. The abyss suited the girl; a strange inversion of most explorers.

The conclusion was obvious. This girl was a denizen of a lower-level, somehow all the way up here. Poor thing. Those born in the abyss tended to stay there; they experienced the same trauma of ascent as everyone else, but it was so much worse for them and life up in Midgar tended to be uncomfortable. Unsurprising the girl would come here to recapture something like the normalcy of her previous life. But what of the flowers? Not enough sleep it seemed; the answer should be obvious. A funeral rite. The girl was mourning or honouring someone of note to her. Aeris carried on, not wanting to interrupt the girl's pilgrimage, but also curious now.

It seemed like the girl was going to continue over into the second layer; deeper than Aeris would go. But to her relief the girl stopped at the cliff edge, held the flowers out. She let them tumble into space. The miasma caught the falling flowers immediately, altering the movement; some plummeted faster, others seemed caught in an up-draft. The girl said something, the accent and words unfamiliar. The flowers still tumbled in the air, gradually sinking below the cliff edge on their way to the depths.

A quiet sound of shock dragged Aeris's attention back from the falling flowers. The girl had noticed her. Pretty red eyes, gorgeous lips; more wary than anything else. Aeris hefted her bag, smiled and ventured down to meet someone new.


	2. Shut Up and Dance With Her

The difference between Midgar and Nibelheim still gave Tifa trouble five years later. Going from once knowing at least everyone's name to only vaguely aware of who she lived next door to was an enormous change. The population of Nibelheim was largely static, fluctuating slightly – mostly thanks to travellers on their way across the mountains. In Sector Seven, the population was in what felt like permanent flux. People reaching the city, people making it big and moving to the upper plate (a whole other chunk of the population living suspended above their heads!), moving to other sectors, losing too much and forced out into the less trafficked and more dangerous regions below the plate. And that was avoiding dwelling on the less pleasant exits; death to human or monster.

Barret could sympathise to a point, but most of his focus was on Marlene. His daughter was growing fast, curious and older than her years. A tragic fate for the little girl; the slums was no place for children.

"But what if they could be?" Tifa asked one day. She frowned, the half-finished thought taking shape.

"What do you mean?" Barret blinked at her. Wrong time of day for heavy thought; after closing and after clean-up. A night-cap to imbibe before considering how to get home; the sole remaining complication for either of them.

"What if we made more of an effort." She paced back and forth behind the bar. "Got to know our neighbours." Tifa whirled to face him again. "We know some people here, right?"

"Like Johnny?"

Tifa winced. "Not precisely like him. I meant more like Vogel."

Barret frowned and his expression brightened. "You mean the weapon shop owner?"

"Exactly." Tifa gestured to the doors of the Seventh Heaven. "He lives and works right over there and you weren't sure you knew his name." She let her hand drop. "We're too isolated here. We're stuck down here and, and, we let Shinra keep us all apart. We could be more of a community."

"Sure, but where to even start-"

"Here." Tifa jabbed a finger onto the bar. "We invite the people we live with here. Our neighbours. That couple down the street with the five year old. Even Johnny if we can't avoid it. But I don't want to keep treating everyone like they're going to stab us in the back. I can't believe everyone's like that. Not here."

"We ain't Sector Six," Barret murmured, nodding.

"Right." Tifa folder her arms. "So. We going to do this?"

The eventual plan was something like a party. Aim to invite families – with or without kids and see how things went. Tifa and Marlene took care of the posters – little more than simple cut out letters on neon coloured paper, pasted up in and around the bar. But would anyone show? If their perception was to keep their distance, was the rest of the Sector thinking the same thing?

Maybe they were. But sure enough, people came.

The thinness of the planning quickly became clear as parents and children awkwardly shuffled into the bar, nervous and wary. No one was sure what to make of Tifa, Barret, Jessie, Biggs or Wedge. No one wanted to pick at the laid out food and the stereo in the corner's low volume seemed to accentuate the silence within the establishment instead of covering it. Thankfully they had Marlene. Barret's daughter toddled up to the first couple – the pair from just down the street – and befriended their son. Tifa used this as her own introduction. The couple were Alphys and Undyne; their son was Fisk.

The ice broke and conversation began to flow; Marlene and Fisk danced in the cleared section of floor in the middle of the bar and others joined in. Tifa served mostly non-alcoholic drinks as the day progressed. People came, left and came back all over again. Parents, older married couples, the odd teenager seemingly dragged here by oblivious parents. Sector Seven seemed to be opening itself up to itself.

The rolling group of attendees continued to fluctuate as the day slid into evening. Younger children taken home by parents who sought Tifa out to thank her for her organization of the event and how much they hoped for another event in future. Tifa promised another occasion. More older attendees, many of them regulars at the bar, but others unfamiliar. The music got louder and more people were drinking. The notion of this as some kind of family event fell by the way-side, but people were happy and talking and Tifa was not certain so many had ever been here before.

"C'mon," Jessie said at some uncertain point as Tifa stared into the mass of dancing bodies.

"What?"

"You've been stuck behind the bar for too long. Go mingle a little more. Enjoy your little project." Jessie grinned at her and it did not take too much persuasion to venture out from behind the bar. Most of the food was gone and Barret had taken something more like a guard post at the door. Fair all things considered, if the notion of needing to stung a little. Tifa settled onto a chair. Not easy to hold a conversation in the din the music had risen to. A flutter of pink in the midst. A gap in the dancers-

A stranger danced in the crowd. Metal bangles danced on her wrists, her long skirt sweeping around her ankles. A long braid tied with a ribbon swept this way and that as she moved. Tifa gulped. The girl's eyes opened; a brilliant green. Pink lips. She was smiling at- Someone? Not clear. Tifa made her way back to the bar. "Who's she?"

Jessie squinted in the indicated direction. "Not sure. Maybe- Oh!" She snapped her fingers. "Not sure on her name, but she's a flower girl I think." One of those who realised any hint of the world outside of Midgar would be vastly beneficial for its inhabitants; their work mostly futile and the flowers never lasted. "A good one; she even manages to sell on the Upper plate I hear."

Some interval of time passed. "What?" Tifa asked.

"I didn't say anything." Jessie was grinning at her. "But I think you should go dance with her."

"I don't even know her, and what if she's with someone. Or-"

Jessie grabbed Tifa's hand and squeezed it. "Shut up and dance with her."

Weird hollow feeling in her stomach, a strange sense of almost weightlessness. Far better to scurry back to the edge of the room and wait for the girl to leave. Or try and fail to attract her attention. Or- Tifa pushed between two dancers and was abruptly face to face with the flower girl. "Hi!" she said, her movements slowing a little, but she still kept pace with the music.

"Hi," Tifa said. An oddly enthusiastic greeting. Odd to do nothing; she started moving to the beat of the song too.

"You're Tifa right?" The girl grinned at Tifa's nod. "I'm Aeris."

"How'd you know who I am?"

Aeris cast around. "Heard it from a lot of people. Said this was your idea." Made sense; people were talking despite the volume of the music. "I like it."

"It's gotten a bit away from the original idea-" Around her people danced; some moved alone, others held hands. Along the edges of the room people were chatting and kissing. "-okay a lot away from the original idea."

"Do you mind?" Aeris asked.

"No. The idea was to bring people together – or at least try to."

"I think you managed to achieve that," Aeris said. "I will apologise for gate-crashing. I mean, I don't live around here, but I saw the poster and-"

"It's fine," Tifa interrupted. "Getting to know other sectors was a maybe future plan." A future hypothetical. But at least something to aspire to.

"Off to a good start," Aeris said. She glanced behind Tifa. "Are you free for a bit?"

Tifa glanced back; Jessie had co-opted Wedge into helping behind the bar; he caught her eye and mouthed it was fine. "I can be?"

"Good. Care to dance with me?" Aeris held out her hand. A heartbeat later, Tifa took it.

"Yes."


	3. Waking Up to Ash and Dust

The Remnant, its skull-like face still leering, pulled Ruby closer. "Tifa!" Aeris called out despite the mako flooding her lungs, her words lost in the fluid. Had to move, had to get up. Sapphire was ponderous now, damaged and losing power at a frightening pace. Not now. The pain wasn't real – not to her, she could ignore the feedback. Aeris stood. The near heart-stopping wavering, the pause before the WEAPON responded to her. Her sync ratio must be lower than normal. Aeris grimaced and focused.

A flicker; the doubling-like sensation from her early sync trials, when exhaustion became too much. She was sitting in a flooded cylinder, a blank canopy ahead of her all she could see- Sight and sound snapped back into focus as she again saw through the WEAPON's eyes. The doubling came again; her eyes widening to painful diameters.

The Remnant exuded a fleshy appendage, the tip engorging as it moved, thickening in response to some unknowable biological process. It grew fast splitting in two, each part of a nightmarish maw filled with the glitter of sharpened points. The maw surrounded and closed on Ruby Weapon. Aeris started forward and stopped. The crack of shattered metal, of broken bones at gigantic scale rang across their battlefield.

The appendage retracted, broken stumps of Ruby's legs toppling to the ground, blood spurting from the cavities. The Remnant withdrew its mouthful back inside, nothing but the skull visible, eyes flickering with the tell-tale light of its energy beam.

And Aeris was screaming, screaming in the mako, the synchronisation between her and the WEAPON flickering in and out as the Remnant prepared to attack. But Ruby WEAPON's legs, the only remains of Tifa Lockhart still bled on the ground. Her vision blacked out; her battery life expended.

Sorrow and rage in the dark. Her focus wavered and the battlefield was visible once more. How- A flicker of light and pain.

The pain brought focus. Sapphire had moved somehow; an involuntary reaction as she mourned? Or was it another instance of Sapphire's curious quirks; moving without power, without pilots, without any form of human control. The movement did not come to much; the pain was astonishing, Her, no, Sapphire's left arm blasted off to the shoulder, the stump cauterised by the intensity.

Another flicker of focus; Aeris clenched her teeth. "Give Tifa back!"

The babble of voices from the ground crew faded away; desperate orders for retreats, prepping for other WEAPONs, last lines of defence if the Remnant got any closer to its target. None of that mattered now. The WEAPONs' survival was secondary. She might leave them defenceless; Ultima lay broken nearby, the unknown pilot reportedly still alive. Were they others to draw on? Five was an oft-muttered total though Aeris only knew of three.

Sapphire responded as her vision aligned once more. The pain intensified but it would not stop her now. She sat upright, the Remnant shifting to flick its tentacles forward. Aeris brought her hand up, her reflexes almost impossibly quick. She caught the tentacle, its razor-sharp edges useless like this. With a heave she pulled it closer, the creature's vast bulk pressed up against her. How long could Tifa have? There was little indication externally of the creature doing anything to the consumed WEAPON but the internal biology of the entities remained elusive and inconsistent.

Sapphire kept hold of the tentacle as Aeris kicked the Remnant away, the tentacle tearing from the creature's body as it fell back. The tendril remained wrapped around her hand. Something to repurpose; not as if they were different- Another wince when the tendril touched the wound; now a wave of pins and needles spread the length of her arm, sensation following in its wake. A curled, clawed hand replaced the mako-armoured original. Now she could fight.

Ahead the Remnant struggled upright; Sapphire flung itself forward with a burst of speed.

The first stack of AT fields caught Aeris by surprise, but should not have. Other Remnants - and the WEAPONs - made use of the shifting geometric patterns for defence. This Remnant was different in its use of vast stacks of the Fields. They were an obstacle. An obstacle she could overcome.

Sapphire smashed a clawed hand down into the stack, the energy field, the variance in the air cracking like glass. Brute, blunt force from her right hand, wicked sharp slices from her left. The WEAPON attacked the AT fields, the murky outline of the Remnant becoming clearer as she moved closer. The last layer of the stack fell and the Remnant's eyes flickered again. Sapphire brought the clawed hand up reflexively, the air blurring as an AT field generated to absorb the blast. The ground around her scorched and blackened.

Another flick of her hand, the arc sweeping through the same space as the Remnant's body. Blood erupted, catching on half-destroyed AT fields to rain down onto the ground. The skull-like face seemed more afraid of her than before. Sapphire moved before it could think of retreat. A clawed hand shoved the creature down; the flicker came again. Her hands kept the creature pinned. What- An abrupt hunger, a desperate need to consume came over her. Sapphire lean down, teeth grinding and crunching as they split the boney protrusions of the Remnant's face. The creature slackened beneath her, the mouthful still pulsing with life.

Tifa. She needed to find Tifa. Nausea threatened to overwhelm Aeris. What was she doing? These savage attacks, eating a Remnant? A burst of chatter, concerned voices from the radio. No time now; Tifa remained trapped inside this thing's corpse. She needed to get her back. Unpleasant but-

Sapphire's hands descended over the remains of the Remnant, fingers stopping short of clawing, tearing, digging inside the fallen enemy. Instead, she focused everything down onto the now exposed core of the Remnant. Around her the wind picked up. Wind? Down here? A distraction from her goal. Dust and debris began circling as she focused. Time and weight ceased to have meaning, the wind roaring around Sapphire as Aeris delved deeper, the entry plug fading away. The doubling; Sapphire's eyes (a roaring cyclone, the landscape painted red, some glowing mass above her spreading out wider and wider-) and her own (a darkened passage she was certain would lead to Tifa).

A final barrier, a strange fluid wall forcing her back; it took all of her energy to push through. Tifa lay curled and motionless. "Tifa!" Aeris called, her voice echoing. Sapphire's arm shattered the Remnant's body. "Take my hand!"

Tifa stirred, slowly, too slowly. But she was here, she was alive. Too far apart; too great a distance. Aeris stretched her hand; Tifa raised up. Closer, closer-

There. Aeris and Tifa's hands closed around each other. Sapphire wrenched her hand back; Aeris pulled Tifa up. The most precious thing in the world in her hands-

Pain. Worse than losing an arm, worse than losing Tifa. It built and built, crashing in waves out of her torso. Sapphire screamed in agony, gaze flicking around attempting to understand what had happened. A spear-head extended out of the front of Sapphire WEAPON, pinning her to the ground. And now something moved in the rapidly calming skies; the cyclone, the red landscape, the glowing mass all gone. Sapphire caught a last glimpse of an unfamiliar WEAPON floating down from unknown heights before she fell unconscious.


	4. Killing Cloud

Cloud Strife was a difficult man to kill. Not for want of trying or opportunities. Tifa's decision to murder was spur of the moment, the split second after his recognition of her, her recognition of him – and more importantly what he had become. A SOLDIER, a tool of Shinra. The enemy. This one in the guise of a barely casual acquaintance from home. Before the fire. And yet something was wrong. The wrongness spared his life for a spell – he insisted he had seen her last five years prior and not seven. That he was there in the final days of Nibelheim. And he was about to walk right back out of her life. Panic forced Tifa to blurt out Avalanche's planned assault on the reactor. They needed help, needed muscle, why not use him? A poetic justice in using this SOLDIER against his creators (his story never became less baffling or unbelievable. No one left SOLDIER. No one once part of the elite of the elite became a mercenary. There was something truly odd here).

There was little way Cloud could genuinely be a SOLDIER, or wield his ludicrous sword with any degree of control. He had no prep – unlike Barret, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie. He had only limited ideas about the current plan. He would pose a risk to the others, but there was every chance Cloud would mess up and get killed sharpish. His death would fulfil two functions; distraction and closure. As it stood he represented a last dangling and frustrating thread from her former life. A long-lost neighbour should be someone to cling to. But he was treacherous; someone who signed up to the possessive force of Shinra and thus could not be so easily forgiven. Her call to Barret forced an invention and more lies; Cloud was a childhood friend – and trust-worthy.

Should have been the end of it. Cloud Strife, cut down in a hail of gunfire certain to the last he was a SOLDIER. And yet, he survived. Helped Jessie to escape the reactor's blast and plucked a flower from who knew where (a better quality flower than Tifa had seen ever since her arrival in the city). A gift for Marlene – though how much resulted from Barret's glaring? So why- Oh. Oh, he'd called her out to the Water Tower hadn't he? The memory surfaced. Did he know he was one of many she met? Cloud at least made no move to push his luck; no request for a kiss, a proposal or a fleeting intimacy (no doubt for boasting for the individual had she ever consented. She never did and never saw any – bar Cloud - again). He told her of his plans; and wrong-footed her. So she brought up the promise.

The promise gave her another shot at him – and time to think. The poison didn't work; absolutely trusting, or naïve perhaps. He took the drink she mixed behind the bar (back turned to conceal her hands as she slipped a healthy dose of rat poison in) and swallowed it without blinking. The expected effect disappointingly failed to appear and he was close to walking out until she stayed his hand. The money he demanded was a nuisance, but if he died in the next mission, they would not lose it for long. Third attempt; Tifa went in person to see he fell on the next reactor assault.

And fall Cloud did; plummeting from a catwalk right down into Sector Five. The roof of the church below would break his fall, but surely not enough to allow survival. Barret's innate distrust of Cloud made concerns of his fate easy to brush off as they returned to base. Tifa heaved a sigh of relief before despairing at the need to tangle with Don Corneo. She took solace in the certainty one SOLDIER was no more. Until her heart lurched on the trip to Sector Six. Cloud Strife, alive and uninjured was sitting in a playpark with some girl in pink. And all she could do was hope he did not spot her.

He did. But so did Aeris Gainsborough; smiley, flirty, touchy. An astonishing force of life in the slums, contrasted directly with the mirk in which she lived. She sold flowers – including the one Cloud brought home. She was also trying to kill Cloud.

Tifa blinked and gaped at her in the sewers after the drop from the Don's bedroom. Her too?

Unlike Tifa, Aeris had no high-minded reasons for trying to off a SOLDIER. There was a fuzzy period in Cloud's recent past in Midgar when he became something of a destructive force in the slums of Sectors Three and Four. He got attacked and fended off some thugs from one of the gangs operating over there with enough force to gain a price on his head. The bounty attracted a great deal of attention; Aeris was trying to collect. Her official job of flower seller allowed her cover and a wide margin of success; she could get close easily and who would suspect a flower girl? She specialised in poisons, tiny needles to prick fingers and palms as she sold flowers. On a few higher profile targets she used rose thorns directly.

Cloud represented a significant failure; the intended needle blunted as it struck his skin, it's toxic cargo marring his finger instead. For most a possibility of death remained associated, but not for a SOLDIER (was he what he said?). Cloud was still alive. Aeris smirked at Tifa's expression unsurprised by her intolerance for the man. So why not join forces? They could work together to murder him and collect the reward. Tifa would achieve the closure she sought, Aeris would get paid; they would split the money 50:50. Tifa said yes.

But circumstances got in the way; the fall of Sector Seven should be a simple end to Mr. Strife. At least, it would had it not been for the risk to Marlene, the fatality to Avalanche, the risk to a huge crowd of friends and acquaintances. Aeris's capture necessitated her rescue by Tifa – and hey, maybe Shinra would know how to deal with a rogue SOLDIER? One SOLDIER might not have been able to stop Sephiroth before, but that was in the middle of nowhere without support?

Not long after gaining entry to the Shinra building it seemed the company was pathetically ill-equipped to deal with a rogue SOLDIER. Cloud still lived.

He did seem to have a personal death-wish; he fought with everyone who stood in their way, rode a bike through a plate-glass window and onto rain-slicked streets in the night-time. Heading out from the city with no provisions and only a vague idea of a direction. All decisions - in a normal course of events - that should have seen him struck down swiftly. But the opportunity never came.

Aeris left the city with them and her excuse sounded plausible enough, taking cover in truths the head of Shinra exposed to her companions. A tension Tifa had not been aware of evaporated; Aeris accompanying them as they went further was oddly pleasing. No time to dwell on the unexpected reaction; Kalm should have been the first opportunity to off their prey. Too tired and Cloud's revisit to their alleged shared past sent Tifa into a new low. But now Aeris was there to hold her as night fell. Secure and safe in Aeris's wondrous embrace.

Opportunities could come at any time, but it was hard to drag her attention from Aeris. Cloud was there and when he paused by a cliff there was a chance- But taking advantage would mean stopping her conversation with Aeris. Her friend, her best friend. Someone Tifa felt amazingly comfortable with as they talked, as she learned little bits and pieces of her past. In turn she offered fractions of her own and taking care not to trip on the weird anomalies of Cloud's version. Holding hands began as something they did for crossing areas with poor footing but when the ground was level it never seemed necessary to stop.

Their first kiss came at the Chocobo Farm, as Cloud haggled for prices. An experience needing a repeat as soon as possible once they were alone in their room. Kissing, holding hands; distractions from the goal. Tifa remembered too late perhaps Cloud's Chocobo could befall an accident and leave him vulnerable to the Midgar Zolom. By the time she could murmur the plan, the party was across the swamp. And Aeris looked too good and- Night was too far away.

Junon gave them better privacy and they fell into bed, barely concerned with what opportunities they might miss with Cloud. Somewhere along the line, the need to punish, the need to destroy Cloud had faded away. Now he was an excuse; someone to follow, someone who let her keep on journeying with Aeris. Neither were concerned with him much now and their conversations pivoted on teasing whispers in public, interesting curios in the local area, holding hands, kissing-

The last attempt either made to kill Cloud came after meeting Priscilla. So many absurd contrivances in a plan to gain entrance to the Upper Plate of Junon; if he didn't die in the attempt, nothing would be able to kill him. So many factors and risks: propelled into the air by a dolphin tail, to avoid the electrified fences, to survive a plummet back to the shallows if he missed- He was the perfect party member for the job, and he did so with minimal grumbling.

Cloud made it to Upper Junon; their last attempt on his life thwarted. Aeris seemed as unconcerned as Tifa. Like Tifa she was enjoying an excuse to roam the world. Following Cloud did have its drawbacks; now they also needed to follow him in his quest to find Sephiroth. No matter; there would be time for them to be alone together soon.


	5. Getting Ready

Watching the clock did no good at all. But it was near impossible to avoid catching sight of it and check on the time. Her date was too far away. She would get ready soon and hang around in the bar until Aeris arrived in- Still too long; the clock hands had barely moved since she last looked.

New idea: divide the time remaining by half and focus on getting through that. Half the available time to suffer through.

Conclusion: not the best plan. She was still looking at the clock far too much. Jessie took pity on her and chased her away from the bar well ahead of any arranged time. Tifa protested but Jessie was adamant. "If you don't go and get ready, your heart's going to explode when she kisses you."

Tifa's cheeks prickled with heat; she needed to get out of here and fast. "It's a first date," she said trying to keep her voice level. Jessie's expression said it all. A first date might be completely innocent out in the backwaters – or at least that was how the logic went. Tifa could protest she knew full well how many others her age were sneaking off to be intimate back in Nibelheim and the city-dwellers did not necessarily move faster despite reputation but said nothing. Jessie's silent look offered no concessions. Aeris might kiss Tifa tonight. And she would be lying if the thought did not excite her.

Would it be better if she did or didn't? Tifa wandered up the back-stairs to her apartment to get ready. Assuming the evening went well, assuming Tifa did not say the completely wrong thing. Or if Aeris turned out to be an awful person when they were on their own. And if she didn't, would Tifa have the nerve to make the first move? She was getting ahead of events. The point of this was to get to know the other person. Spark of attraction, the desire to spend time with each other. Find out if they were compatible and allow for closer intimacy. Failing that could they fall into friendship?

Her thoughts threatened to get away from her in the shower. Those eyes, those lips; not things thinking of those right now. Or not yet. Or not ever. Calm. Maybe try to think of this as an old-fashioned date from movies decades previous; where holding hands or a kiss on the cheek was the big thing, and they would spend the date drinking milkshakes. Of course, that was a fake veneer constructed on the truth; the real nature of those older innocent times was too risqué for contemporary depiction. She would be mimicking an idealised fiction.

Still; a starting point. Sensible clothing; sensible, plain lingerie. The long dress left her arms exposed. In some ways this felt foolish; it was not as if Aeris had not already seen her in a short skirt and tank-top, but now she was sticking this notion to the end – fiction or no. Hair dried, brushed and styled. Make-up carefully applied. Last minute panic about her clothing choices; if things remained chaste or at least ended with kissing it would be fine and how could Aeris know what she was wearing underneath?

Ignore the little voice noting kissing meant a great deal depending on where said kiss was on her body. Settle instead on the sensible notion: if somehow she ended up sleeping with Aeris tonight, would she honestly care what she was wearing? No.

Tifa's reflection pinked at the thought; she forced her insides to calm. But there was something about Aeris, something that sent her thoughts running helter-skelter no matter how much she tried to rein them in. But impossible to ignore this event was a first date with all the connotations. Her first, first date. Life seemed under control enough to think about things other than survival. Tifa at last had met someone she seemed to hit things off with.

A last re-appraisal of her appearance; she was ready to wow her. Hopefully. Was that a faint heavy-sensation behind her eyes? Tifa grimaced and fumbled for the cure materia. A mild surge and the lingering tiredness evaporated. Now she was ready. And despite her efforts, there was still time to go. Down at the bar her friends expressed amazement at her appearance, Marlene smiling in awe as she told her she was beautiful. Tifa thanked them all and took a drink to an empty table to wait. The clock ticked on. Still too long; she got up to help out Jessie.

And that was where Aeris found her quarter of an hour later. Tifa's brain seemed to stall until she realised who the beautiful woman at the bar was. But; those green eyes – now accentuated with eye-shadow – should have given it away. The lips, her hair lose around her shoulders; her date had arrived before she knew it. "Hi," she said. Quick glance; Aeris was wearing a cowl-neck sweater and leggings. Not noticeably dressier than her. "You okay to go?"

Free-fall sensation in her stomach. This was happening. "She is," Jessie quipped, nudging Tifa with her hip. "Just have her back before Midnight."

"Jessie," Tifa growled. Her friend smirked, said nothing and went back to serving customers. Tifa shot Aeris an apologetic look, but Aeris seemed unfazed. "After you?" Aeris smiled again and Tifa's knees seemed to be losing their ability to keep her upright. She rallied and followed her date outside. Sector Seven was better than other places, but still, something about having a date here seemed less than sensible. Barret nodded to Tifa as they left the bar. Now her friends and work was behind her. Her present contained only Aeris.

Her date glanced around. "Sorry, I know you told me before, but I can't remember which way the restaurant is?"

Tifa smiled, almost trying to hide it. Was she smiling too much? Don't overthink. "This way," she gestured and together they headed off deeper into Sector Seven. For food and conversation. No loud music this time, no increasingly drunk patrons jumping all around them. The two of them together and sharing a nice meal. And seeing where things went from there.


	6. Staying the Night

Tifa lived – it turned out – in an absurd picturesque cottage. The exact type of place more at home in a storybook than in the slums of Midgar. And yet Aeris was now inside said cottage, the interior as quaint as the exterior – and nearly as incongruous. She questioned its history over dinner with Elmyra. The older woman claimed the house had been here before the city. Like that answered anything. Tifa explained the presence of flowers, but the house? Her few other attempts to pry went nowhere. Elmyra's voice was level, her tone polite. And yet there was something in her attitude all but screaming at her to leave now.

The truth – or a hint at it – came when Aeris helped Elmyra with the washing up while Tifa went upstairs to sort sleeping arrangements. "Can you please leave without Tifa in the morning?" An over-night stay necessitated thanks to Tifa's insistence she guide Aeris back to Sector Seven. For all her reticence on their first meeting, Aeris's role in getting Tifa out of the church and away from the pursuing Turk had broken down a barrier between them. The other girl hung tight to a number of secrets; though her speculation on the Turk's interest in her – recruitment – did not ring entirely false. Tifa had demonstrated some past training in martial arts; though the muscle tone in her arms would have said enough.

The comment shook Aeris, the animosity less guarded than it had been. "Sure. I- I'm sorry if I intruded-"

"It's fine," Elmyra said, sinking her hands back into the washing bowl after a glance to the stairs. A myriad of creaks from the other side of the house betrayed Tifa's location. "She's been through enough already." Elmyra opened her mouth but shut it again without saying anything. Something more there, something that might figure into her presence specifically. SOLDIER. Something to do with the animosity from the past? A few more burning questions pressed; how and why was Tifa living with this clear non-relative? And what was the deal with the house?

Further attempts to pry thwarted when Tifa descended the stairs empty-handed. "I changed my mind about the sofa," she said matter of factly and picked up a tea-towel to assist with the drying up. "I've got a double-bed, so-" Aeris met her gaze and her stomach felt weak. "-I think you'd be much more comfortable sharing with me."

The request from before – leave quietly in the morning without letting Tifa know or taking her with her; the one did not necessarily preclude the other, but it would be a lot easier to leave her behind if she did not know Aeris was gone. The thought petered out and in its place was the more intoxicating notion of her stunning new acquaintance offering to share a bed with her. No. Absurd. Not so soon after meeting, not so soon after the girl had been glaring at her. Aeris might – might – have made such an offer, but never completely serious and with every expectation of getting shot down. Like the first time she slept with another girl; the idea they would do nothing more than kiss sliding into something vastly more intimate only minutes later with the odd insistence from both they would stop. Should stop. And didn't.

Aeris blinked, her brain stalled. Elmyra shot her a look Aeris declined to notice. "Thank you," she replied with a grin too wide, a blush pricking her cheeks. "That would be great."

Tifa nodded and went back to the drying, an awkward silence now hanging over the three of them. Aeris broke it first by asking where one of the pots lived, and she strained to fill the gaps in conversation until the chore was complete. And now doubts crept in. Tifa was being nice surely. Again, too fast, too brazen. There was a misunderstanding somewhere. The possibility remained her words were a chance of something else, but to expect it would lead to disappointment. When bed-time arrived – earlier than the norm following the expectation of the early start – Aeris's doubts seemed justified. Tifa lead Aeris to her room to wait while she used the bathroom; laid out on the bed were two sets of folded pyjamas. Not exactly the prelude to a night of passion.

Getting distracted Gast. Aeris changed, folding her uniform up carefully on the hamper at the foot of the bed. Tifa had yet to return; the cramped bedroom provided a temporary distraction. The same romanticism the exterior of the house boasted also applied to the interior. The narrow space contained a bed, a chest of drawers, a cupboard and a set of low shelves containing an eclectic set of battered paperbacks. Collages of images occupied sections of the wall, none of them terrible large or connected – at least as yet. Images of flowers and regions outside of the city. Famous spots like Costa del Sol were better represented. Interesting absence of images of areas where Shinra's presence was strongest; Junon was notable in its absence. Although, who could blame her for not wanting images of that place?

She snapped her head around as the door opened. Tifa shot her a smile. "Your turn."

Aeris brushed past her and followed the landing across several creaky floorboards to the door at the end. Like Aeris's room, the bathroom was almost too small for use. Toilet, bath, shower-head above, sink, medicine cabinet. Two toothbrushes in the holder above the sink. Bit of a long-shot to hope for a spare – and now was not the time to route around in the cabinet. Aeris spread a blob of toothpaste on her fingers and brushed her teeth as best she could. Her mind drifted; she forced her attention back to the present. Now was not the time to be thinking about Tifa waiting in the bed, nude. Or lounging back invitingly and ready for her. Stop. They were sharing a bed in total innocence. And they were both wearing pyjamas. Aeris would wake early – or try not to sleep at all – and leave the admittedly appealing Tifa behind. Maybe it would be an idea to come back here in future? When things were more settled. Assuming Tifa would give her the time of day after running away without another word.

Tifa looked up from a book when Aeris opened her door; the title almost lost beneath a cracked and light-faded cover. She smiled and grabbed a small clock on the bedside table. "What time do we need to get up?"

"Six should be fine," Aeris replied, adding an hour to her estimates. Enough time to be far enough away for pursuit to be meaningless. Tifa nodded and fiddled with the device. She set it down and shuffled closer to the wall. The sleeping position was at least going to make getting out of here easier. Aeris slipped into the bed, careful not to brush against her companion. They both settled back onto the pillows and Tifa clicked off the light. Aeris kept her eyes open and stared at the ceiling.

Any lingering thoughts of Tifa intending something more than sleep were promptly dashed; she rolled away from Aeris, her breathing swiftly became regular and she twitched in response to her dreams. Aeris smiled and rolled the opposite way to face away from Tifa. Sleep normally proved elusive for Aeris. Typical for her to lie in bed for what felt like hours before the night would pass in a rush and morning would arrive. A shock to realise something had woken her; the previous day must have taken more out of her than she thought. Warmer now; bordering on the uncomfortably hot. Something pressed against her back, her legs, her belly- Aeris's breath caught. Tifa draped across her, breath whispering against the back of her neck. Oh.

How to make things a little more awkward in this situation. Crushing on the girl already and now she had her arms around Aeris. The stolen intimacy was nice, but-

"Are you awake?" a soft voice asked.

Best to be honest. "Yes," Aeris murmured back.

A pause. "Sorry. Do you want me to move?"

"No." Too quick. "No," she repeated. Her tongue flicked across her lips. Getting thrown out of the house right now would make things easier, but the longer sleep would have been nice- "I'm enjoying it."

Tifa's arm twitched, her muscles flexing, pulling Aeris a little closer. "Me too." A soft touch on the back of Aeris's neck; she let out a quiet moan and the sensation came again. Aeris reached to entwine her fingers with Tifa's; the other girl touched her lips to her neck again, closer to her throat now. Oh yes. But too slow for Aeris's liking; she rolled over to face her bed-mate and sought out Tifa's lips with her own. Tifa moaned at the contact, hastily sucking in a breath as Aeris slipped a hand up under her pyjama top. They did not stay dressed for long; clothing and bed-sheets discarded as the two embraced in the night.


	7. Keyword: Mine

Aeris glanced at the rest of the Phantom Thieves; they nodded in turn. Tifa apprehensive beside her but eager to get on with their mission. The first skirmish with their latest target; stealing the heart of Rufus Shinra. The phone app triggered and the world blurred around them, warping and wavering as they shifted from reality into the cognitive world.

The light dimmed. Each palace was different in some way, but few as dark as the wasteland surrounding them. Knight shifted his feet, the mask never fully hiding his blond spikes. A good thing they were as stealthy as they typically were; Knight risked easy recognition. "Sand?"

"Looks like it," Monk murmured, kneeling to sift the surface between her fingers. "Wait, isn't this-"

"Just like outside Midgar," Gunner muttered. There was a lighter point ahead of them, hidden for now by a ridge on the landscape. "Maybe Shinra's palace is the whole city?" Unspoken in his question was the keyword; the palace could not be Midgar.

Nothing else around them, the dull landscape trailing off to infinite distance; real world mountains or the distant lights of Kalm did not exist here. Geomancer moved forward. "Let's find out," she said. Monk stuck close. This might be the last time; if they could change Rufus's heart, change the man who controlled Shinra- Life might change for the better. No more need to steal hearts, to fight back against Shinra. The corruption and control would be gone. People would be free and the Planet would continue to live. Any chance they could complete this heist in two tries?

Unlikely; every other palace intrusion required a number of trips in and out of the cognitive world before they could reach the treasure at the heart. Securing the route forced the publication of the calling card and a final run through the palace construct. Two visits to whatever passed for Shinra's stronghold at a minimum. Possibly more. Worth it though. Beside her, Monk stiffened, staring ahead, her eyes wide. Geomancer shook her reverie away to follow her gaze.

The keyword to unlock the palace of Rufus Shinra was 'Mine'. Singularly appropriate for the man; all was his. The expectation was a palace hidden below the ground, entry strictly controlled at numerous points. The reality - if such a word applied here – of Shinra's palace was different. A low building lay on a rise in the ground before a vast funnel-shaped pit burrowing down deeper into the earth. Faceless wraiths toiled with pickaxes all across the surface. They were excavating-

"Is that gil?" Monk hissed, her body tense.

Wraiths tugged Gil in singular coins, or strange clumps of metal from the ground and loaded onto conveyer-belts moving it up and out of the pit. Hundreds of belts raising millions worth of gil from the ground. But there was something odd when the gil reached the edges of the pit. The accumulated gil tipped from the belts to the ground where one group of dark-suited figures offered it to a line of wraiths. "It is. They're-" Geomancer pointed. "They're paying them." The dark-suited figures handed gil to wraiths who went back to working in the pit. An endless cycle of working wraiths who periodically downed tools to take clumps of gil. "But those ones aren't."

Geomancer pointed to the far side of the pit. Here dark-suited men constructed a new conveyer-belt to merge near seamlessly with the first. One directed the gil up higher. Wraiths lined up like the other side, but the dark-suited men would break off their work and chase them back down into the pit. Some hung around after, weapons visible in hand as the wraiths struggled to resume working. Wait. There were other wraiths; lurking far beyond the edge of the pit and ignored by all. Other detritus lay here; portraits of an older man, his eyes slashed through with a burst of red.

"What happens when they're all not paying?" Knight asked in a quiet voice.

"Not sure we want to find out," Monk muttered, the reflection of the real world to the cognitive clear enough. "We need to get to Shinra before that."

Geomancer nodded. The building above; half mako-reactor, half-villa built in a style not out of place in Costa del Sol – where they would find their target. Geomancer opened her mouth and stopped. Rufus Shinra strolled to the men setting up the conveyer-belt. Perhaps this would be easier? He was touring his facilities. And if he was here, there would be far less risk inside the building. "Might be a bit high profile right now," she said and gestured towards him. "We know what we're up against; we can re-group and try again tomorrow."

The others nodded. Monk had difficulty tearing her gaze from the palace. Geomancer touched her arm as the others walked away. "Sorry," she murmured. "I just never thought we'd get here. Or would ever get a chance like this. And I hate that if this works he'll get some credit for what he's done, even if people know it's us and-" She fell silent. "Sorry," she murmured again. Monk rubbed the back of her neck and arched her back. "We should get back and rest up."

Geomancer nodded. "Though I was thinking we could spend more of the evening together."

Monk shot her an amused look. "You want to find out if massage'll lead to something else or you want to go out somewhere?"

"Well," Geomancer said with a wider grin, her hands settling onto Monk's hips, gazing deep into the other girl's eyes. "Start like that and see how things went? Try and take your mind off this?"

"Tempting-" Monk glanced back to the palace. "I would like to put this out of my mind. We'll see how it goes."

Geomancer took her hand; together they left Rufus Shinra's palace for the time being.


	8. Jenova Descending

Aeris jerked awake at the sound of her alarm, and with an overly familiar grumble batted the clock to silence before rolling out of bed. Long since used to the darkness when she woke up, the need to move relatively quietly as she got ready for work. Life in the slums was not easy; made worse when her job entailed the long commute to the upper plate and cleaning in some of the big fancy buildings up there. Not an ideal life but all she had. It would be nice to leave the city – but where would she go and how would she support living? It would be nice to find another job, but finding the time to do so in between working, travelling, eating and the odd moment when nothing else was happening made it complicated.

Quick wash at this time of morning; not as if she was going to meet anyone she had to make a good impression on – and her desire for slightly more sleep had put paid to the time to arrange something in the evenings. She shrugged on the faded blue overalls, marred with any number of stains the origins of never bore thinking about, picked her staff up from beside the door, her lunch from the fridge and headed out into Sector Five.

Not many people around this time of day, but Midgar could never truly sleep. A few nods and waves as she made her way through the streets. People seemed relaxed; no monster attacks last night from the looks of things. These intrusions from Midgar's other population were usually resolved by the time she woke, but did not eclipse the human cost incurred from whatever had emerged from the darkness to snatch away an unwary victim – or resulted from tangling in a far more deadly manner than a would be hero fuelled by too much liquor.

She curled her lip at a sign in the station; rail fares were going up again – so much for any thoughts of savings. If she wanted anything, she needed to figure out a way to make some more money. And to do so in a way that took little time and paid well. None of the adverts inside the train offered anything useful. Lawyers hawking services, insurance and people extolling the virtues of some extravagance she would have difficulty affording if somehow transport, transport and clothes were not constant drains. She did better than some; at least Mom owned her house. Many of the cleaning staff struggled to survive to the end of the month. A few mooted venturing into Sector Six and the work offered there; most resorted to keeping clothing going well past the point of destruction via any method they could manage.

A chill wind swept across the upper plate when the train ground to a halt. Always cold at this time on the upper plate. Disappointing too; now should be a perfect time to at least get a glimpse of the stars, but the perpetual haze clinging to the city marred the sky from her view. Something else the city had robbed her of. She pushed the thoughts of out of her mind. Now was no time for day-dreaming or fretting. Both factors would only serve to make the day seem longer than it already threatened to be. More infuriating and tiring, all so the corporate headquarters would be ready and clean for when the staff started to arrive.

The night security guard studied her badge intently when she stepped into the lobby. Always did. The company was overly concerned with security – and weird to think of anyone trying to assault the building. A long check of her versus her image; the photo was at least taken when she was feeling grumpy and surly – a good enough match to the present. No need to try and force a smile. The guard shot her one more suspicious look and ran the card through a reader. An electronic beep, a green light and forced her to step forward as he held the pass back out. Taking his entertainment where he could find it.

Aeris muttered when she was out of ear-shot and clipped the badge to her overalls. The service elevator ferried her down a few floors to the province of cleaning supplies, rubbish carts and mops – and her co-workers.

"Morning," Aeris muttered and trudged to the coffee machine. She got a few mornings back from the others, most attention focused on the clock as it counted down to the start of today's shift. The coffee was too hot, her tongue and throat burned. Not paying enough attention – and the pain did little to wake her as it faded to a dull throb. At least the caffeine should help when it kicked it.

The clock struck the hour and Aeris swigged as much of her mug as she could, wincing with each pained swallow. Wouldn't do to let her mind wander or to procrastinate over the work necessary this morning. Still working when the main staff started arriving was grounds for instant dismissal; as was perception she was not working hard or fast enough would see her wages docked. A glass of water would have been good to soothe her throat, but no time. Aeris darted back out of the room. Headed for the top to work their way down.

Rota specified job allocation; at least no one cleaned out the bathrooms day in day out. Aeris was on vacuuming today; not the best but far from the worst role. So long as the vacuum was not filled with dust and risked of sending a plume of dust into the air as she struggled with the aging appliance. Try to stay positive. The group split up, each to their own roles. Little chance of conversation while she was running the vacuum cleaner – one of the major downsides.

Aeris uncoiled the cable and set to work on the acres of carpet surrounding the president's desk. Today was odd for some reason. A few times as she worked her way across the floor, there was a nuisance blinking light outside the window. No sooner had she turned her back on it, when she caught it once again. No. Not blinking; a strange shifting light. But it resolved (moved was perhaps the better word) into another of the lights arrayed around the tip of the building to warn of its height. She tried to ignore them but was unable to quell the frustration of the light still glinting almost out of sight whichever way she looked.

The next time she looked for it, the light resolved and now it did not annoy her. Some strange quirk of rising heat and reflections no doubt. Made sense; how else could it move away when she tried to look directly at it, unless the movement of her eye dispelled the effect. Aeris resumed cleaning with renewed effort before what sounded a lot like breaking glass came from somewhere behind her. She switched the appliance off and strained her hearing. Nothing but the thudding of her heart. No time for this. She reached for the on button- There. Breaking glass and something else now audible.

What was down one floor? Mostly secretary stations and some of the more advanced executives. Not a lot of glass down there- Except for the external windows. Had one of her companions somehow broken a window? Aeris abandoned the vacuum cleaner and headed for the ramp down. If it was nothing she would lose little to see what happened. If it was anything else – if against the odds glass fallen from the window injured one of her fellow workers-

Aeris swallowed and hurried down to the floor below. "Undyne?" she called. Nothing. The windows nearby were still intact, but there was a sensation of moving air, a noise of the waking city from an immense height. Aeris quickened her pace as she followed the floor around. "Un-" Aeris bit back the name, but too slow.

Ahead of her, Undyne's body lay slumped on the floor. Too distant to be certain if dead or merely unconscious. Her hand flopped back down, released from a gloved hand. Two black-clad strangers stood over Undyne, their attention directed at Aeris. They wore some kind of masks hiding their eyes, ugly metal constructs glinting with the impression of sensors and cameras. Aeris fought to decide to demand to know what they were doing, what Undyne's situation was, how were they- There was something outside the window, something floating beside the building. A craft – it had to be a craft. All sharp points narrowed to needle-like tips, seemingly held aloft by some near silent blue glow at the base.

"New candidate." The harsh, mechanical voice emanated from the left-hand figure. They paid Undyne no more attention. "Unarmed." Aeris took a step back- Both figures surged forward, striding across the carpet towards her. Flight won out, and Aeris darted away. Where to? The lifts? She slammed her hand against the call button. Futile; the indicators above both sets of doors showed both cars not far from the lobby. She leapt forward, barely avoiding the clutching hand of one of the figures, the other approaching to flank him. No way to race for the stairs; nowhere to go but up.

Aeris ran up the slope. Great plan. There were few ways off the top of the building. Absurd thought of tying something around her waist to try and get into a lower floor by breaking a window. And it would only work if her pursuers did not take the easy choice of severing her support line. She grabbed for the vacuum cleaner, wielding the tube with both hands. "Stay back!"

The figures paused. "Candidate is armed."

"Proceed with caution," the other replied. Assuming it was the other. The pair were moving slower, but how long could she hold them off? Aeris backed up, keeping both the intruders in sight. All too soon, her back was up against the glass walls of the office. Nowhere to run to. No hope. No. Her weapon might not be effective, but she was not going down without a fight. She raised the tube higher, waiting for the first figure to come in range.

The window exploded. A shower of glass rushed into the room as something- as someone rocketed into the space. At their feet was a similar blue glow to the mysterious craft; the figure arced through the air, turning over and over. They landed, momentum keeping them moving away from the now broken window. The new figure pulled something from their belt – a weapon. A burst of red leapt from the barrel to each figure in turn; both collapsed to the floor in twitching huddles.

The blue glow dissipated and the new stranger strode towards Aeris. Saviour or a new foe? Not willing to wait to find out. She dropped the tube and sprinted. "Wait!" She ignored the stranger, reaching the bottom of the ramp as the lift doors slid open with a chime. A way out. Aeris fell into the lift and slammed her hand onto the lowest floor she could reach. Not fast enough. The stranger's foot on the ramp heading towards her? Aeris jabbed at the close door buttons, not letting out her held breath until the doors had completely closed and the lift descended.

Safe for now. Who were any of those people? And was she going to catch the blame for any of this? Was she going to get fired for breaking from routine? Hardly fair given what happened to Undyne, the strange figures in black, the thing floating outside the window. Aeris blinked. There, out the corner of her eye, a flickering blue glow. The Upper plate rose up as the lift descended. But right beside the lift, keeping pace with its descent was a similar construct to the one she glimpsed above. Surfaces ending in needle-like points, a flickering glow keeping it aloft.

Aeris stumbled back. She needed to stop the lift, get out and try the stairs. Maybe hide somewhere until this – whatever this was – was over with and she could get home. She slapped at the buttons without looking, fingers finding nothing but metal. A single glance back at the control panel- A flicker of red from the craft. The world exploded around her.

A burst of noise, her stomach lurching with a strange sense of weightlessness. The sounds of the waking city roared as wind whistled around her. The unfamiliar growling pulse of the black floating object. She fell, hands scrabbling for purchase on nothing as the wind roared with increasing intensity all around her.

The growling pulse grew louder, the floating object pursuing her, the ground approaching at a horrible rate- "Got you!"

Something was around her waist, her stomach lurching again as the weightless feeling cut off, her fall slowed, the black craft falling away from her. Blue flickers from below – from the feet of the figure who now had its arms around her. Revulsion, fear, shock. Irrational and absurd but Aeris was not willing to see where this lead. She thrashed in the stranger's grip. "Let go," she growled, hands and feet aiming for any vulnerable spots.

"What, are you crazy?" the figure yelled, their voice rising as the black craft halted and ascended once more. The stranger muttered something unfamiliar and they shot upwards. Reflexes kicked in and Aeris grabbed the stranger's arm tight as the city receded again. "Sorry I'm late."

The sentence made little sense at this juncture; hard to care now the black craft gained on them. Easier to see in the blue glow of the stranger's boots; they emitted a similar light to the craft – likely the same technology. No single mass; unfamiliar characters covered sections of the outer area; a hint of tinted glass in the centre. "What-"

With another lurch she moved backward and the roof of the Shinra building passed underneath them. Not ideal; but better than falling. Aeris again struggled with the stranger's grip, all her efforts doing little to shift it. "Give me a minute." Another unfamiliar word. "Must have a good cover-up ready when the news breaks," the stranger muttered. She let go, Aeris unable to brace for the impact. She stumbled and slumped down onto something formed of grey metal. Something above the Shinra building.

Behind her the figure fumbled with a hatch. "Come on," the figure beckoned. Aeris did not move. "Please?" The figure tried again. Aeris retreated. Not far to fall to the roof – chances were good she could get away while this played out without her. "I promise I'll explain everything when we're out of this."

"Explain it now," Aeris demanded. The fall would be survivable. She would need to roll to have a better chance at surviving injury and away from the edge until she could make it to the balcony beside the President's office.

"No time." The stranger paused and reached for their mask. Black hair cascaded out from under the helmet as the stranger pulled it away. Underneath was a feminine face; the stranger smiled at Aeris. "I'm Tifa, and I'm here to get you to safety."

Aeris's eyes widened and she forced her expression into a frown. "What do you-"

Tifa darted forward and grabbed Aeris's arm. Before she could open her mouth to protest a strange electronic pulse sounded from behind her and the grey craft rocked beneath her. Tifa clung to her and she clung to Tifa, who hauled her up and into the hatch with gritted teeth. "Hold on."

Dark inside, glowing lights covering interior walls like candles in a cathedral. Tifa took a seat and flicked controls. Aeris opened her mouth to say something, to ask anything. What was this? Who was Tifa? Who were the others? Where had they come from? Before she could utter a sound, the craft jolted, tremors running through the surface beneath Aeris and she was flung to the floor. Tifa muttered the same word again. Cursing possibly? No time to speculate. Another weightless feeling as the ship began to turn – and not by any action of Tifa's it seemed.

"Transfer to emergency boosters," Tifa murmured as she ran her hands over controls and Aeris focused on not feeling violently ill or slammed into one of the shifting surfaces around her, no one of them seemingly content with being a floor. A flick of a switch and something roared at the back of the craft, the wall resolving to floor, and the former floor now a wall pressed into her back as the whole craft accelerated. She adjusted by increments as the craft skimmed over the tops of the Midgar buildings. A burst of red flickered past. "Figures they'd try shooting."

Some of the situation was now pretty clear. This was some manner of flying craft of a type far beyond anything Aeris had seen. There were two competing forces, one of which seemed determined to kill her. Tifa's goals were at least seemingly allied with hers – and given the lack of actual hostile intent, she seemed the better one to stick with for now. That left the troubling questions. Why her?

Tifa hauled on controls and outside the view blurred, the city dropping away and the front of the craft pointing up into the sky. Aeris grabbed hold of the nearest surface as the walls and floors again shifted position. Tifa kept the craft moving and they levelled out. The black craft still behind. A twitch of Tifa's arm sent a flicker of red into the other craft and it burst apart into a rain of fire and fragments.

No deviation from the course; they moved forward through the traces of smoke and destruction left in the wake of the other craft. Heading towards the outer edge of Midgar. Tifa settled back into the chair, her posture relaxing. "Didn't think-" Something loud sounded behind them, something burst, leaking, exploding and with a lurch the craft sank towards the city. Close enough to the edge; they were outside the city before they sank too low. Perhaps it would have been better to crash on the edge of the outer edge; now there was fifty meters of space between them and the encircling desert. Tifa wrenched at the controls as the craft dropped with ever increasing speed.

A momentary glimpse of black sand, black sand as far as she could see rushing up towards her. The craft struck something and she jolted forward into darkness.

* * *

"Hey." Aeris stirred, shifting awkwardly as she tried to find a comfortable way to lie. Her mattress was not great at the best of times, but it seemed to have embarked on a whole new endeavour to make sleep close to impossible. Too tired. Not to mention the absurd dream. "Hey!"

"What?" Aeris opened her eyes, squinting in the bright light. This was not her room. She was lying on the floor of a black room- Memory flooded back. Tifa leant over her. But what was beyond her was far more interesting right now. A blue sky – dotted with clouds. She was not in Midgar anymore.

Tifa waved her hand in front of her face and nodded as their gazes met. "You survived okay then." She scambled backwards and peered off at something else. What now? Getting away from Tifa seemed the initial best plan; she might not seem to be with the others who came after her – she was still tangled up with this, whatever this was. She could try and make a break for it. Get back home, or hide out somewhere. Fleeting notions of staying outside the city were soon dismissed; how could she possibly survive without any resources?

Aeris scrambled forward, discarding stealth for speed. The ground was black sand, a long groove stretching to- She stopped. Ahead lay the gigantic, hulking shape of Midgar. The upper plate half vanished in haze, and the lower sections must be miles away. How far had they gone? Tifa glanced over her shoulder. "You can stand too. This is going to be easier. Come on."

"Come on?" Aeris's legs felt weak and she leant against the craft.

"Yeah." Tifa walked past the craft. "We need to get going."

"We don't need to do anything," Aeris huffed. "I need to know what is going on."

"Tifa Lockhart. Independent contractor. Registration number 42753214. Hired to get you back to my employer." The girl stopped. She sighed. "I'm not planning on hurting you if that's your concern. I was asked to deliver you unharmed."

"And what if I don't want to be delivered to-" She frowned. "To who precisely?"

"Tseng."

Which answered precisely nothing. "I think I might take my chances here. So, tell your employer thanks but no thanks, I'm fine." She shot Tifa a wan smile. "Maybe slightly less so depending on what my employment prospects are like after this morning."

Tifa was troubled. "Look, I'm just doing my job too. No one told me anyone was going to be shooting at you. Or me." She studied Aeris. "What are you going to do if they come back?"

Not a prospect she had considered and it was hard to fight the shiver now running down her spine. "I would have been okay. If you hadn't interrupted." Not the best of lies; Tifa held her gaze and said nothing. "Okay, so I need to go somewhere else. But I am not being delivered by you or anyone else." She shot a glance back to the city. "But I don't want to run into those people again. And my mom-"

"Their focus is solely on you. They're called Tonberries; single minded targeting based on genetic sequences. They're not going to bother your mother."

"Oh that is so much better." Some relief though; Mom would be fine. Aeris cast around. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Staying away from where they think you are is the best start. But they'll figure out where you are eventually." Tifa's gaze never settled in one spot for long, always checking the landscape around them. "Look, I can't make you come with me – and right now I can't deliver you anywhere thanks to this." She gestured at the craft. "So. How about for now, I get you someplace safe." A slight twinge in her voice there. Safe was a relative concept on this subject perhaps.

"Is it far?"

Tifa shook her head. "Settlement right over there." She pointed to a coloured blob off in the distance. Kalm more than likely. "We get there, I meet up with an old, ah, acquaintance. He'll-" She shook her head. "We need to get away from the craft and out of the open if nothing else." She started walking. Little choice but to follow. Wincing a little at her bruised limbs, Aeris trailed after her.

"What is going on?"

"A broad, broad subject," Tifa replied with a smile. "You specifically, I couldn't say. Timing's a bit suspicious with the matriarch dying-"

"Matriarch?" Aeris frowned.

"Yeah," Tifa said slowly and her eyes widened. "Guess you folks are kept in the dark about that one."

"Apparently," Aeris said. There was a matriarch somewhere in the world? She had never heard of such a thing. "But-" She let out a frustrated sigh. "Are you an alien?"

Tifa shrugged. "From your perspective, sure. From mine same is true."

"You're just going to admit that? That you're from space?" Aeris glanced over her shoulder. "Why would I even try to refute that given the space-ship and the genetic assassins-"

"Not assassins," Tifa interrupted. "I mean, they can do that, but they were intent on taking you. Otherwise there'd be no building left."

"I feel a little better," Aeris replied in a weak voice. "Why me though?"

"That, is an extremely good question, and one I have no answer for," Tifa shot back with a frown. She surveyed the sky; Aeris copied the movement. Nothing out of the ordinary that she could see. "I was hired to do one job and… Things got complicated."

"You do this a lot?"

"This?" Tifa smiled ruefully. "Not this. Still new to this line of work – and my scruples meant turning down some nastier jobs."

"Some comfort then. What did you used to be?"

"A soldier," Tifa replied. "Served for a few years and just couldn't take it anymore. This is more my speed. Doesn't pay as well. Well, until Tseng sent me after you."

Simple answers to complex questions. So there was alien life and alien life was more or less identical to the examples on the Planet. There were space-ships. Someone named Tseng. Tonberries. And somehow, in some way so much of this centred on her. Aeris pulled at her uniform. "Like to be rid of this at some point."

Tifa glanced over. "Reckon we can sort something out when we get there." Another sweeping look to the sky.

They walked on in silence. "What's it like?" Tifa glanced at her questioningly. "Space? Spaceships? Other planets?"

"Normal, I guess?" Tifa shrugged. "I could ask what its like to never leave Gaia."

"'Gaia?'" Aeris blinked. "That's what you call the Planet?"

"Planet's a descriptive term for, well, a planet," Tifa said blinking slowly. "We kinda have to distinguish between all of them. More than you do at any rate."

A lot to digest. Tifa replied to Aeris's successive questions as best she could. Certain terms did not seem to translate between the mundane and the near magic technology Tifa seemed all too comfortable and familiar with. Certain things simply did not make sense from speaking to her. Differences in mundanity and what she took for granted. Strange. Aliens were alien. But also more familiar than she might expect. Alien life was one of those theoretical, maybe in the future kind of things. Or perhaps a speculative notion withe possibility of truth. Or for some; nightmare-fuel. But outside of certain sci-fi TV shows, aliens never usually resembled humans like Tifa did. Or whoever they were meeting.

Another thing giving her pause. There were various aliens living on the Planet. Most of them exiles from what Tifa indicated; those who fell out of favour with the royal family and the bigger syndicates. There were opportunities to try and cling onto some footing – as Tifa had – but by and large, too many mistakes would see someone marooned on the Planet – a world archaic, but comfortably livable. No scientists – or at least none with sufficient knowledge to meddle in technological developments. And if anyone did try – with a mind to getting back off-world via one way or another – it was not as if there was no one keeping an eye on the Planet. Interventions had occurred before. A plausible ascendency to space for the inhabitants of the Planet was not something those up there (a nebulous term – how disparate was life out there?) feared per se. But-

"The matriarch owns the Planet?"

Tifa blinked at her. "Well, yeah."

"But…" Aeris cast about for the right words. "But it's ours." She blinked. "Isn't it?"

"It's not like she was charging you rent or anything, was it?" Tifa scratched at her head. "The great houses own most of the solar system. They control their own worlds, their moons and use them as they see fit. I figure the Matriarch liked this place as it was."

Aeris shook her head. "It just seems wrong."

"Way of space." Tifa shrugged. "Anyway, up to the successor what happens now."

"And if they decide to wipe us out?" Aeris asked, tensed and ready for what already seemed the inevitable answer.

"That's their call." Aeris closed her eyes. "Look, I know how it sounds but, the scale-" She stopped. "Sorry. For what it's worth, this place has been in the hands of the family for centuries and no one has ever made a move on it." Aeris said nothing. "You, your family, all of them. You'll be fine."

There was some comfort in her words – the faint comfort she was there to hear them and life as she knew it had not ended years earlier.

* * *

On any other day, Kalm would have been a remarkable, eye-opening experience. Another settlement, a different place. Somewhere without gigantic metal plates suspended above it. And yet, the humans were mere humans – as far as Aeris knew anyway – and paled in significance and her attention contrasted with the admitted alien who was with her. The faint thought she should call Mom came again, but how risky? Back there might be more of those pursuers from before. Those aliens she was assuredly not keen on meeting.

From their conversations it was clear, Aeris's stance on the world was now shifted. They were not alone in the universe – nor were they alone on the Planet. There could be any number of aliens mixed in amongst any crowd anywhere and she would not have the faintest idea. Whichever specific contact Tifa was looking for was not in the streets, and she lead Aeris at towards their home.


	9. My Immortal

Hi, my name is Tifa Dark'Ness Dementia Raven Lockhart and I have long black hair which reaches my lower back and red eyes like fire and a lot of people tell me they look like Rei in Evangelion's (if you don't know who she is, get the hell out of here!). I'm not related to Gilderoy Lockhart but I wish I was because he's a major hottie. I'm a vampire but my teeth are white and straight. I have pale white skin. I'm also a witch and I go to a magic school called Carbuncles on the Eastern Continent where I'm in the seventh year (I'm seventeen). I love Goth Topic and I get all my clothes there. For example, today I put on a white tank-top and a black skirt, with red lipstick. I was walking outside Carbuncles. It was snowing and raining so there was no sun, which I was happy about. A load of preps stared at me including Sephiroth. I put my middle finger up at him.

"Hey Tifa!" a voice shouted. I looked up. It was… Aeris Gainsborough!

"What's up Aeris?" I asked.

"Nothing," she said shyly.

But then I heard my friends call me and I had to go away. My best friend Yuffie smiled at me. "I saw you talking to Aeris!" she said excitedly.

"Yeah? So?" I said blushing.

"Do you like Aeris?" she asked as we went into Carbuncles and into the Great Hall.

"No I so don't!" I shouted.

"Yeah right," she exclaimed. Just then Aeris walked up to me.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," I replied flirtily.

"Guess what?" she said.

"What?" I asked.

"Well, Bad Mami are having a concert in Nibelheim," she told me.

"Oh. My. God!" I screamed. I love Bad Mami. They are my favourite besides The Shanghai Cavaliers.

"Well…. Do you want to go with me?" she asked.

I gasped.


End file.
